quote:

Originally posted by Lira Oh, when you said "outdated" I read that as "the things we knew no longer hold"... because such is science after a while.

Yea. The world of morfopathology (cancer research), virology and other fields moves indeed at an extreme pace, however most of the body's function remain the same.

What the hell does "undergrad" mean?

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Most books we're talking about, I believe, are not aimed at undergrads.

graduate level at least at the level it should be doesn't really use those books that have an edition update every 2-3 years. And graduates have more access to inter library loans. I would assume most graduates spend much less on books. Most of the reading is from journals, which every university provides free online access . I can't speak for every school but textbooks are kinda the territory of the undergrad.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

quote:

Originally posted by Chimney Yea. The world of morfopathology (cancer research), virology and other fields moves indeed at an extreme pace, however most of the body's function remain the same. What the hell does "undergrad" mean?

pretty universal term. What you do before you start a master level degree.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney pretty universal term. What you do before you start a master level degree.

I have no insight in the American educational system.

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney graduate level at least at the level it should be doesn't really use those books that have an edition update every 2-3 years. And graduates have more access to inter library loans. I would assume most graduates spend much less on books.

Not at all. Like I said, these prices hurt students in developing countries more than in the developed world, and I don't know of any inter library loans where in Brazil (which is where I live). And graduates need just as many books as undergraduates do, if not more. Also, libraries themselves can't afford these prices any longer, with Harvard (of all places) issuing a letter about the topic a while ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney Most of the reading is from journals, which every university provides free online access.

Which is part of the material with absurd prices.

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney I can't speak for every school but textbooks are kinda the territory of the undergrad.

Are you a graduate student?

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney pretty universal term. What you do before you start a master level degree.

Can't be arsed to add this to my previous post but, no, it isn't universal. I happen to know what it means because I've considered studying in the US, but what you call an "undergraduate" is what we call "graduando" and what you call graduates is what we call "pó-graduando", for example.

i was. I can't speak for every school as i only went to school in NA. I do think that the digitization of everything will allow much cheaper access to books for higher learning. Textbooks overall are being phased out for ebook versions.

What do you mean by absurd prices for journals ? Every institution i know provides online access as part of the tuition. The actual cost to most journals is pretty damn low. I mean i just renewed my subscription to the NJM for 150$. The amount of information you get is staggering. Do institutions in Brazil not include access to this information as part of the tuition ?

Overall, i think the issue with education and the cost has little to do with the price of books. I think that moving in the direction of online content streamlining certain courses that don't really need or allow interaction , specifically those huge classes where asking questions is not really permitted, would cut down alot of costs. But progress is not so simple when you have a legacy of a certain model of how to learn , the people making the decisions not wanting to make themselves obsolete. I mean do you really need an instructor for calculus ? Calculus is not going to change nor has it in a really really long time. But the system requires a room, a tenured professor and so on.

I think the solution is two sided. Government needs to realize the benefit of having a population with a rounded education but also find more cost effective and creative ways of implementing the education.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Can't be arsed to add this to my previous post but, no, it isn't universal. I happen to know what it means because I've considered studying in the US, but what you call an "undergraduate" is what we call "graduando" and what you call graduates is what we call "pó-graduando", for example.

But we are speaking english. Butter is what we consider the universal term for butter in the language which we are speaking. I didn't mean to say that it is universal in every single country that uses a different language. In France and Quebec, they call it something else.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest